COVID-19 hospitalizations hit a new high in Virginia

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — COVID-19 hospitalizations hit an all-time high for Virginia Wednesday.

The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association reports 2,035 patients in Virginia hospitals diagnosed with or who are presumed to have COVID-19 and are waiting for test results.

VHHA spokesman Julian Walker told WAVY that unlike past patient count increases that could be pinned to specific regions, this latest increase in hospitalizations is more consistent and evenly distributed.

“It’s concerning. The numbers, as we’ve discussed before, are not heading in the right direction and so continuing on this trajectory does pose a risk of straining the healthcare delivery system.”

That said, there is still ample bed space in Virginia hospitals right now.

“There are still thousands of beds, more than 6,000 almost 7,000 available in Virginia hospitals to treat patients whether they come in with COVID-19 or they have other medical needs so they should not delay care,” Walker told WAVY.

He said throughout the crisis, there have been projections of worst-case scenarios and running out of bed space, but we have never gotten to that point. He warns, however, of another potential problem: staffing.

“It’s not so much about bed space in some places. It’s about staff availability because if you have a situation where you have staff exposure which could lead to isolation or quarantine, that can impact the overall staff complement and staff availability.”

That’s why VHHA implores everyone to take precautions including wearing a mask and distancing themselves from others.